Another year, another qualifying record at MIS

Kevin Harvick posted the fastest qualifying speed in NASCAR's top series since 1987, winning the pole at Michigan International Speedway on Friday at 204.557 mph.

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By AP

Ionia Sentinel - Standard-Ionia, MI

By AP

Posted Jun. 13, 2014 at 11:49 PM

By AP
Posted Jun. 13, 2014 at 11:49 PM

BROOKLYN

Kevin Harvick posted the fastest qualifying speed in NASCAR's top series since 1987, winning the pole at Michigan International Speedway on Friday at 204.557 mph.

Harvick's pole-winning speed was the fastest since Bill Elliott set the record of 212.809 mph at Talladega Superspeedway in April 1987, but drivers have routinely broken 200 mph at Michigan since the track was repaved before the 2012 season.

Marcos Ambrose had a speed of 203.241 in 2012, the first time anyone won a pole at over 200 mph since Elliott did it before horsepower-sapping restrictor plates were introduced at Talladega and Daytona. Last August, Joey Logano pushed the track record to 203.949.

Harvick was even faster in winning his third pole of the year and ninth of his career. Points leader Jeff Gordon was second, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third.

Jr. leaves Newman momentarily stranded

Ryan Newman made it to Michigan, no thanks to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Newman thought he had arranged a ride on Earnhardt's plane Friday morning. The problem was that Earnhardt forgot about that and left Newman at the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.

“It was just an honest mistake, I think,” Newman said. “He forgot. I don't think it was by any means on purpose.”

Newman said he arrived before the scheduled 8:30 a.m. departure, but the plane was already gone. He was able to find former NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett's plane and get a ride on that.

Newman was at Michigan International Speedway in time for his scheduled media availability Friday afternoon, and well before the start of qualifying for Sunday's 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Earnhardt says the takeoff time for his plane was moved up by 30 minutes because of media commitments.

“I forgot about Ryan. Even if we were taking off at 8:30 a.m. and he wasn't there I probably would have left him,” Earnhardt said. “That was unfortunate for sure, but it happens.”

Earnhardt seemed sheepish about his mistake on Twitter.

“Weekend started off on wrong foot. Left @RyanJNewman at the airport.

Forgot he was riding with us. Imma pay for this one,” he wrote. “I'm hoping and praying that the reason @RyanJNewman isn't responding to my text are because he is at 40,000 feet. Please be at 40,000 feet.”